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QMI Agency

Feb 6, 2012

, Last Updated: 2:08 PM ET

Canadian military police have charged an officer with disgraceful conduct and sexual offences against two cadets in B.C.

Capt. Daniel Moriarty, an instructor at the Cadet Instructors Cadre, is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old girl and sexually assaulting a boy starting when the youth was 15.

The CIC trains youth 12-18 to be cadets in the army, navy and air force. The alleged offences occurred between 2008 and 2011, at the LGen E.C. Ashton Armoury in Victoria and the Vernon Army Cadet Summer Training Centre in Vernon.

Military police began an investigation after one of the teens came forward.

"(They) uncovered the facts of the case, and additional allegations were brought forward," said Capt. Karina Holder, spokeswoman for the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS).

Moriarty was arrested in July and released on strict orders not to have any contact with cadets or attend any cadet functions. He was relieved of his duties without pay, pending the outcome of the charges.

Moriarty is charged with two counts of sexual exploitation, one count of sexual assault or sexual interference and one count of behaving in a disgraceful manner, the CFNIS announced Monday.

Holder declined to reveal Moriarty's age or hometown, but said he is "a younger officer."

"Those in a position of leadership in the Canadian Forces are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times, and this type of alleged behaviour is treated with the utmost seriousness by the military police," said Lt.-Col. Robert Delaney of the CFNIS.

Moriarty is charged under both the National Defence Act and the Criminal Code, and the case will proceed through military court martial, which has the authority to impose criminal sentences. The sexual offences carry maximum penalties that range from five to 10 years in prison. Violating the military's code of conduct could result in a maximum prison term of five years.